Walking for a cause

Walkers participate in the Eastern Carolina Council Area Agency on Aging second annual Elder Abuse Walk at the New River Waterfront Park in Jacksonville Friday afternoon.

Photo by Maria Sestito/The Daily News

By Matthew Adkins - Matthew.Adkins@JDNews.com

Published: Friday, June 6, 2014 at 08:51 PM.

Advocates for preventing elder abuse in Onslow and surrounding counties hit the streets in downtown Jacksonville Friday afternoon to raise awareness for their cause.

David Rosado, deputy director for the Area Agency on Aging, helped organize the event. He said that by 2025, there will be more people over the age of 60 than within the range of zero to seven years old.

“Essentially, there will not be enough skilled nurses to take care of our elderly,” Rosado said. “It’s important we try to educate people now on how they can take care of their elders at home.”

During the registration process for the awareness walk, copious amounts of sandwiches, chips and beverages were freely provided.

The group of walkers donned purple T-shirts, the color chosen to represent the struggle, and strolled through the park adjacent to the New River.

Long-time Jacksonville residents Jonathan Layne and wife Amanda were both present for the walk.

“We’re just here to do our part,” Jonathan said. “When you grow older, sometimes it gets easier to fall through the cracks and become forgotten. Hopefully there will be more things like this for us in the future.”

Advocates for preventing elder abuse in Onslow and surrounding counties hit the streets in downtown Jacksonville Friday afternoon to raise awareness for their cause.

David Rosado, deputy director for the Area Agency on Aging, helped organize the event. He said that by 2025, there will be more people over the age of 60 than within the range of zero to seven years old.

“Essentially, there will not be enough skilled nurses to take care of our elderly,” Rosado said. “It’s important we try to educate people now on how they can take care of their elders at home.”

During the registration process for the awareness walk, copious amounts of sandwiches, chips and beverages were freely provided.

The group of walkers donned purple T-shirts, the color chosen to represent the struggle, and strolled through the park adjacent to the New River.

Long-time Jacksonville residents Jonathan Layne and wife Amanda were both present for the walk.

“We’re just here to do our part,” Jonathan said. “When you grow older, sometimes it gets easier to fall through the cracks and become forgotten. Hopefully there will be more things like this for us in the future.”

Their path was dotted with signs explaining what constitutes elder abuse and common statistics, such as “For every reported case of elder abuse or neglect, as many as 23.5 cases go unreported” and “Research indicates that people with dementia are at a greater risk of abuse & approximately 5.1 million American elders over 65 have some kind of dementia.”

Angela Pridgen, regional ombudsman for Eastern Carolina Council Area Agency on Aging, said elder abuse is a concern and awareness is key.

“We are beginning to better understand issues like domestic violence, but I think our elder abuse awareness is really on the low end,” she said. “We’re not getting enough information. We have so many cases that go unreported and the victims still remain silent.”

Pridgen said women over the age of 80 comprise the majority of elder abuse. Also, the risk of abuse seems to be particularly high when adult children live with the older generation.

“A lot of times, there are substance abuse issues which increase the likelihood of elder abuse,” Pridgen said. “Also, illnesses such as Alzheimers and Dimentia also increase the likelihood of abuse because it’s more difficult to provide adequate care. If you don’t have that understanding or support, it can easily happen.”

The Eastern Carolina Council Area Agency on Aging is an active organization that hosts many awareness events and health clinics. For more information on their efforts or to get involved, visit eccog.org or call 1-800-824-4648.